A wide variety of confectionery products having handles are available in the marketplace. These include lollipops, frozen confections such as ice cream bars, among others. Frequently, such confectionery products are coated with edible particulate material, such as candy sprinkles or jimmies, crushed nuts, powders and the like, and are provided to the consumer in that form.
It has been considered potentially desirable to provide consumers with granulated or particulate materials, such as sprinkles, jimmies or the like, to be applied to such confectionery products. However, the application of such materials is difficult, and can be exceedingly messy. Further, when such products can be stored (such as lollipops and suckers can be), it is sometimes desirable to provide for the storage of such products. Because such products are often sticky, a means for preventing their contamination and avoiding their contact with the surrounding environment would be desirable.
Thus, it would be of advantage to provide a device which makes it possible both to easily and cleanly store a confectionery product having a handle, as well as to coat such a product with a granulated or particulate material.
The prior art does not provide such a device. For example, Coleman U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,884 discloses a powder reservoir and a threaded cap. The cap is adapted to hold a candy sucker which can be wetted and dipped into the powder reservoir. To use the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,884, the user must employ both hands to unscrew the cap and must dip the sucker into the powder reservoir. This device requires a level of dexterity and coordination often lacking in children, can result in spillage and is difficult to use in a manner which will provide a uniform coating.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for both cleanly storing a confectionery product having a handle and for coating such a product with a granulated or particulate material in a generally uniform manner, all while minimizing spillage.